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CHARM2: An updated Catalog of High Angular Resolution MeasurementsWe present an update of the Catalog of High Angular ResolutionMeasurements (CHARM, Richichi & Percheron \cite{CHARM}, A&A,386, 492), which includes results available until July 2004. CHARM2 is acompilation of direct measurements by high angular resolution methods,as well as indirect estimates of stellar diameters. Its main goal is toprovide a reference list of sources which can be used for calibrationand verification observations with long-baseline optical and near-IRinterferometers. Single and binary stars are included, as are complexobjects from circumstellar shells to extragalactic sources. The presentupdate provides an increase of almost a factor of two over the previousedition. Additionally, it includes several corrections and improvements,as well as a cross-check with the valuable public release observationsof the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI). A total of 8231entries for 3238 unique sources are now present in CHARM2. Thisrepresents an increase of a factor of 3.4 and 2.0, respectively, overthe contents of the previous version of CHARM.The catalog is only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/431/773

Ca II K Emission-Line Asymmetries Among Red GiantsMeasurements of the asymmetry of the K2 emission line of CaII have been made for a sample of bright field giants with B-V>1.15observed with the Cassegrain echelle spectrometer on the McDonaldObservatory 2.1 m telescope. The asymmetry of the Ca II K2line is quantified through measurement of a parameter V/R, which isdefined as the ratio between the maximum counts recorded in the violetand red components of the double-peaked emission profile. Red-maximumasymmetry (V/R<1.0) is found in our sample of 35 giants only amongstars with B-V>1.35, a trend that is still maintained (with oneexception) with the inclusion of an additional sample of giantspreviously observed by us with the same spectrograph. Althoughexceptional stars can be found in the literature, the data support anearlier finding by R. Stencel that among luminosity class III fieldgiants the occurrence of V/R<1.0 is generally restricted to effectivetemperatures cooler than 4320 K. This limit may coincide with the onsetof pulsation.

The Wilson-Bappu effect: A tool to determine stellar distancesWilson & Bappu (\cite{orig}) have shown the existence of aremarkable correlation between the width of the emission in the core ofthe K line of Ca II and the absolute visual magnitude of late-typestars.Here we present a new calibration of the Wilson-Bappu effect based on asample of 119 nearby stars. We use, for the first time, widthmeasurements based on high resolution and high signal to noise ratio CCDspectra and absolute visual magnitudes from the Hipparcos database.Our primary goal is to investigate the possibility of using theWilson-Bappu effect to determine accurate distances to single stars andgroups.The result of our calibration fitting of the Wilson-Bappu relationshipis MV=33.2-18.0 log W0, and the determinationseems free of systematic effects. The root mean square error of thefitting is 0.6 mag. This error is mostly accounted for by measurementerrors and intrinsic variability of W0, but in addition apossible dependence on the metallicity is found, which becomes clearlynoticeable for metallicities below [Fe/H] ~ -0.4. This detection ispossible because in our sample [Fe/H] ranges from -1.5 to 0.4.The Wilson-Bappu effect can be used confidently for all metallicitiesnot lower than ~ -0.4, including the LMC. While it does not provideaccurate distances to single stars, it is a useful tool to determineaccurate distances to clusters and aggregates, where a sufficient numberof stars can be observed.We apply the Wilson-Bappu effect to published data of the open cluster M67; the retrieved distance modulus is of 9.65 mag, in very goodagreement with the best distance estimations for this cluster, based onmain sequence fitting.Observations collected at ESO, La Silla.

Hipparcos red stars in the HpV_T2 and V I_C systemsFor Hipparcos M, S, and C spectral type stars, we provide calibratedinstantaneous (epoch) Cousins V - I color indices using newly derivedHpV_T2 photometry. Three new sets of ground-based Cousins V I data havebeen obtained for more than 170 carbon and red M giants. These datasetsin combination with the published sources of V I photometry served toobtain the calibration curves linking Hipparcos/Tycho Hp-V_T2 with theCousins V - I index. In total, 321 carbon stars and 4464 M- and S-typestars have new V - I indices. The standard error of the mean V - I isabout 0.1 mag or better down to Hp~9 although it deteriorates rapidly atfainter magnitudes. These V - I indices can be used to verify thepublished Hipparcos V - I color indices. Thus, we have identified ahandful of new cases where, instead of the real target, a random fieldstar has been observed. A considerable fraction of the DMSA/C and DMSA/Vsolutions for red stars appear not to be warranted. Most likely suchspurious solutions may originate from usage of a heavily biased color inthe astrometric processing.Based on observations from the Hipparcos astrometric satellite operatedby the European Space Agency (ESA 1997).}\fnmsep\thanks{Table 7 is onlyavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/397/997

New periodic variables from the Hipparcos epoch photometryTwo selection statistics are used to extract new candidate periodicvariables from the epoch photometry of the Hipparcos catalogue. Theprimary selection criterion is a signal-to-noise ratio. The dependenceof this statistic on the number of observations is calibrated usingabout 30000 randomly permuted Hipparcos data sets. A significance levelof 0.1 per cent is used to extract a first batch of candidate variables.The second criterion requires that the optimal frequency be unaffectedif the data are de-trended by low-order polynomials. We find 2675 newcandidate periodic variables, of which the majority (2082) are from theHipparcos`unsolved' variables. Potential problems with theinterpretation of the data (e.g. aliasing) are discussed.

The ISO-SWS post-helium atlas of near-infrared stellar spectraWe present an atlas of near-infrared spectra (2.36 mu m-4.1 mu m) of ~300 stars at moderate resolution (lambda /delta lambda ~ 1500-2000). Thespectra were recorded using the Short-Wavelength Spectrometer aboard theInfrared Space Observatory (ISO-SWS). The bulk of the observations wereperformed during a dedicated observation campaign after the liquidhelium depletion of the ISO satellite, the so-called post-heliumprogramme. This programme was aimed at extending the MK-classificationto the near-infrared. Therefore the programme covers a large range ofspectral types and luminosity classes. The 2.36 mu m-4.05 mu m region isa valuable spectral probe for both hot and cool stars. H I lines(Bracket, Pfund and Humphreys series), He I and He II lines, atomiclines and molecular lines (CO, H2O, NH, OH, SiO, HCN,C2H2, ...) are sensitive to temperature, gravityand/or the nature of the outer layers of the stellar atmosphere(outflows, hot circumstellar discs, etc.). Another objective of theprogramme was to construct a homogeneous dataset of near-infraredstellar spectra that can be used for population synthesis studies ofgalaxies. At near-infrared wavelengths these objects emit the integratedlight of all stars in the system. In this paper we present the datasetof post-helium spectra completed with observations obtained during thenominal operations of the ISO-SWS. We discuss the calibration of the SWSdata obtained after the liquid helium boil-off and the data reduction.We also give a first qualitative overview of how the spectral featuresin this wavelength range change with spectral type. The dataset isscrutinised in two papers on the quantitative classification ofnear-infrared spectra of early-type stars ({Lenorzer} et al.\cite{lenorzer:2002a}) and late-type stars (Vandenbussche et al., inprep). Based on observations with ISO, an ESA project with instrumentsfunded by ESA Members States (especially the PI countries France,Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) and with theparticipation of ISAS and NASA. The full atlas is available inelectronic form at www.edpsciences.org Table 1 is only available inelectronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr(130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?/A+A/390/1033

CHARM: A Catalog of High Angular Resolution MeasurementsThe Catalog of High Angular Resolution Measurements (CHARM) includesmost of the measurements obtained by the techniques of lunaroccultations and long-baseline interferometry at visual and infraredwavelengths, which have appeared in the literature or have otherwisebeen made public until mid-2001. A total of 2432 measurements of 1625sources are included, along with extensive auxiliary information. Inparticular, visual and infrared photometry is included for almost allthe sources. This has been partly extracted from currently availablecatalogs, and partly obtained specifically for CHARM. The main aim is toprovide a compilation of sources which could be used as calibrators orfor science verification purposes by the new generation of largeground-based facilities such as the ESO Very Large Interferometer andthe Keck Interferometer. The Catalog is available in electronic form atthe CDS via anonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/386/492, and from theauthors on CD-Rom.

Long period variable stars: galactic populations and infrared luminosity calibrationsIn this paper HIPPARCOS astrometric and kinematic data are used tocalibrate both infrared luminosities and kinematical parameters of LongPeriod Variable stars (LPVs). Individual absolute K and IRAS 12 and 25luminosities of 800 LPVs are determined and made available in electronicform. The estimated mean kinematics is analyzed in terms of galacticpopulations. LPVs are found to belong to galactic populations rangingfrom the thin disk to the extended disk. An age range and a lower limitof the initial mass is given for stars of each population. A differenceof 1.3 mag in K for the upper limit of the Asymptotic Giant Branch isfound between the disk and old disk galactic populations, confirming itsdependence on the mass in the main sequence. LPVs with a thin envelopeare distinguished using the estimated mean IRAS luminosities. The levelof attraction (in the classification sense) of each group for the usualclassifying parameters of LPVs (variability and spectral types) isexamined. Table only available in electronic form at the CDS viaanonymous ftp to cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/374/968 or via ASTRIDdatabase (http://astrid.graal.univ-montp2.fr).

Catalogue of Apparent Diameters and Absolute Radii of Stars (CADARS) - Third edition - Comments and statisticsThe Catalogue, available at the Centre de Données Stellaires deStrasbourg, consists of 13 573 records concerning the results obtainedfrom different methods for 7778 stars, reported in the literature. Thefollowing data are listed for each star: identifications, apparentmagnitude, spectral type, apparent diameter in arcsec, absolute radiusin solar units, method of determination, reference, remarks. Commentsand statistics obtained from CADARS are given. The Catalogue isavailable in electronic form at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strasbg.fr/cgi-bin/qcar?J/A+A/367/521

The proper motions of fundamental stars. I. 1535 stars from the Basic FK5A direct combination of the positions given in the HIPPARCOS cataloguewith astrometric ground-based catalogues having epochs later than 1939allows us to obtain new proper motions for the 1535 stars of the BasicFK5. The results are presented as the catalogue Proper Motions ofFundamental Stars (PMFS), Part I. The median precision of the propermotions is 0.5 mas/year for mu alpha cos delta and 0.7mas/year for mu delta . The non-linear motions of thephotocentres of a few hundred astrometric binaries are separated intotheir linear and elliptic motions. Since the PMFS proper motions do notinclude the information given by the proper motions from othercatalogues (HIPPARCOS, FK5, FK6, etc.) this catalogue can be used as anindependent source of the proper motions of the fundamental stars.Catalogue (Table 3) is only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp tocdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (130.79.128.5) or viahttp://cdsweb.u-strastg.fr/cgi-bin/qcat?J/A+A/365/222

Sixth Catalogue of Fundamental Stars (FK6). Part I. Basic fundamental stars with direct solutionsThe FK6 is a suitable combination of the results of the HIPPARCOSastrometry satellite with ground-based data, measured over more than twocenturies and summarized in the FK5. Part I of the FK6 (abbreviatedFK6(I)) contains 878 basic fundamental stars with direct solutions. Suchdirect solutions are appropriate for single stars or for objects whichcan be treated like single stars. From the 878 stars in Part I, we haveselected 340 objects as "astrometrically excellent stars", since theirinstantaneous proper motions and mean (time-averaged) ones do not differsignificantly. Hence most of the astrometrically excellent stars arewell-behaving "single-star candidates" with good astrometric data. Thesestars are most suited for high-precision astrometry. On the other hand,199 of the stars in Part I are Δμ binaries in the sense ofWielen et al. (1999). Many of them are newly discovered probablebinaries with no other hitherto known indication of binarity. The FK6gives, besides the classical "single-star mode" solutions (SI mode),other solutions which take into account the fact that hidden astrometricbinaries among "apparently single-stars" introduce sizable "cosmicerrors" into the quasi-instantaneously measured HIPPARCOS proper motionsand positions. The FK6 gives in addition to the SI mode the "long-termprediction (LTP) mode" and the "short-term prediction (STP) mode". TheseLTP and STP modes are on average the most precise solutions forapparently single stars, depending on the epoch difference with respectto the HIPPARCOS epoch of about 1991. The typical mean error of anFK6(I) proper motion in the single-star mode is 0.35 mas/year. This isabout a factor of two better than the typical HIPPARCOS errors for thesestars of 0.67 mas/year. In the long-term prediction mode, in whichcosmic errors are taken into account, the FK6(I) proper motions have atypical mean error of 0.50 mas/year, which is by a factor of more than 4better than the corresponding error for the HIPPARCOS values of 2.21mas/year (cosmic errors included).

Spectral classification of the cool components of symbiotic starsWe have made near infrared spectroscopic observations of 10 symbioticand 27 K-M comparison stars. For stars later than M3, we found the banddepth of the triple-headed TiO absorption band to be sensitive totemperature and insensitive to gravity. We fitted the spectral type tothe band depth with a standard error of 0.22 of a subtype and derivedthe spectral types for 6 symbiotic stars. We measured the EW of a largenumber of lines including the CaII lines (very sensitive to luminosity),the FeI and TiO lines (moderately sensitive) and the NaI lines (notsensitive). The EW of these lines vary with the spectral type,particularly for stars later than M3, both spectral type and luminosityeffects must be considered. We give the luminosity classes for 10 of thebrighter symbiotic stars, they are all giant stars, showing no featuresof bright giants or supergiants.

The Double Nucleus and Central Black Hole of M31New spectroscopy of M31 supports Tremaine's model in which both nucleiare parts of a single eccentric disk of stars orbiting the black hole(BH). The kinematics and Hubble Space Telescope photometry are used tomeasure the offset of the BH from the center of mass. This confirms thatthe BH mass is ~3x10^7 M_solar by a technique that is nearly independentof stellar-dynamical models. We present spectroscopy of the nucleus ofM31 obtained with the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and SubarcsecondImaging Spectrograph. Spectra at the Ca infrared triplet lines (seeingsigma_*=0.27") are used to measure the stellar kinematics, and spectraat the Mg I b lines (sigma_*=0.31") are used to measure metallicities.We also measure nonparametric line-of-sight velocity distributions(LOSVDs). All spectra confirm the steep rotation and velocity dispersiongradients that imply that M31 contains a 3.3x10^7 M_solar central darkobject. At sigma_*=0.27", the maximum bulge-subtracted rotation velocityof the nucleus is 233+/-4 km s^-1 on the P2 side, and the maximumvelocity dispersion is 287+/-9 km s^-1. The dispersion peak is displacedby 0.20"+/-0.03" from the velocity center in the direction opposite toP1, confirming a result by Bacon and coworkers. The higher surfacebrightness nucleus, P1, is colder than the bulge, with sigma~=100 kms^-1 at r~=1^''. Cold light from P1 contributes at the velocity center;this explains part of the sigma(r) asymmetry. The nucleus is cold atr>~1^'' on both sides of the center. Our results are used to testTremaine's model in which the double nucleus is a single eccentric diskof stars orbiting the BH. (1) The model predicts that the velocitycenter of the nucleus is displaced by 0.2" from P2 toward P1. Ourobservations show a displacement of 0.08"+/-0.01" before bulgesubtraction and 0.10"+/-0.01" after bulge subtraction. (2) The modelpredicts a minimum sigma~=135 km s^-1 at P1. We observe sigma=123+/-2 kms^-1. Observations (1) and (2) may be reconciled with the model if itsparameters are tweaked so that the orbital eccentricity is made largerand the orientation of the orbits is made to point more nearly at us.(3) The model rotation curve is asymmetric; at perfect resolution, V is60 km s^-1 higher on the P2 side than on the P1 side. At sigma_*=0.27",we observe an asymmetry of 54+/-4 km s^-1 after bulge subtraction. Weregard this as confirmation of the model's essential idea that stellarorbits are eccentric and coherently aligned. (4) The model predicts thatP1 and P2 should have the same stellar population. We confirm this: P1is more similar to P2 than it is to the bulge or to a globular clusteror to M32. This makes it unlikely that P1 consists of accreted stars.(5) Our observation that there is cold light on both sides of the centerimplies, if the nucleus is an eccentric disk, that some stars haveescaped from the P1-P2 alignment and have phase-mixed around thegalaxy's center. The dispersion peak coincides with a cluster ofultraviolet-bright stars seen in Hubble Space Telescope images. Wepropose that the BH is in this cluster. Its center is displaced by0.068"+/-0.010" from the bulge center. If we put a 3.3x10^7 M_solar darkobject in the UV cluster and adopt the dynamically determinedmass-to-light ratio of the stars, then the center of mass (COM) of thebulge, nucleus, and dark object coincides with the bulge center towithin 0.017"+/-0.016". The COM also agrees with the velocity center ofthe bulge and outer nucleus. Therefore, the asymmetry of the stars inthe double nucleus supports our suggestion that the BH is in the UVcluster. If the stars have a normal mass-to-light ratio, then thelocation of the COM also confirms the mass of the BH, largelyindependent of dynamical models. Tremaine's model implies that any darkcluster alternative to a BH is less than 0.13"+/-0.03"=0.49 pc inradius. The observed mass-to-light ratio is M/L_V~=300 in a cylinder ofradius r=0.13" and M/L_V~=2200 in a sphere of radius r=0.13". This ismuch larger than previous measurements of M/L_V. This result and the COMargument greatly strengthen the detection of a central dark object inM31.

Spectral and luminosity classification for the cool components in symbiotic starsThe near infrared spectra of 12 S-type symbiotic stars and 78 comparisonstars have been observed with moderate dispersion in five runs from 1992to 1997, the resolving power being R= (lambda )/(Delta lambda )>2000,with a signal to noise ratio S/N>100. The triple-headed absorptionband of TiO (lambda lambda 8432, 8422 and 8452 Ä) emerges when astar is later than M2, and the depth of the TiO absorption band is verysensitive to the spectral type (ST) and insensitive to the luminosityclass of the star. We fit a curve of spectral type against the index ofthe absorption depth of this band with a standard deviation sigma =0.37of a subdivision of one spectral type. The IR CaII triplet (lambdalambda 8498, 8542, 8662 Ä ), Fe I 8689 Ä, and Fe I 8675 Äare good luminosity indicators although the equivalent widths (EWs) ofthese lines clearly decrease for a star later than M3. When the star isa supergiant, the lines have a smaller central residual intensity andbroader wings than in the case of a normal giant. The Ca II 8662 Ä/Fe I 8675 Ä and Fe I 8689 Ä /Fe I 8675 Ä ratios are alsogood luminosity indicators for K-type giants. The latter is particularlyuseful when there are abundance anomalies. The metal-poor symbiotic starAG Dra is classified as a Ib or II giant, as is TX CVn, on the basis ofFe I 8689 Ä /Fe I 8675 Ä. 9 other symbiotic stars containingM-type cool components are classified as giants by direct comparison andquantitative analysis. Due to there being no known good ratio indicatorof luminosity for M-type stars in the band studied and because there isno metal abundance data for the symbiotic stars studied by us except forAG Dra, the results for these 9 symbiotic stars are only preliminary.The infrared Ca II triplet of most symbiotic stars clearly variesbetween the different observing runs. The different luminosity classesgiven to the same symbiotic star are probably caused by the variabilityof the lines of ionized elements, while in some cases they are affectedby a low metal abundance.

Probing the {Na} BT I D and {K} BT I lambda 7699 resonance lines sensitivity to background opacity in late-type starsWe have measured the equivalent width WK of the K i resonanceline at 7699 Angstroms for a large sample of low activity late-typestars observed with high spectral resolution and we have verified thatthe relation WK vs. Teff is monotonicallydecreasing, for both dwarf and giant stars. This behaviour is differentfrom that of the Na I D lines for stars of the same type, which showedthat the relation WNa vs. Teff has a maximum forTeff ~ 4000 K, which is better defined for giants than fordwarfs (Tripicchio et al. 1997). The fit of the observed K I equivalentwidths by means of a NLTE spectral line synthesis using conventionalbackground opacity shows that, for dwarf stars, the adopted modelsoverestimate the observed WK for temperatures

Stellar radii of M giantsWe determine the stellar radii of the M giant stars in the Hipparcoscatalogue that have a parallax measured to better than 20% accuracy.This is done with the help of a relation between a visual surfacebrightness parameter and the Cousins (V - I) colour index, which wecalibrate with M giants with published angular diameters.The radii of(non-Mira) M giants increase from a median value of 50 R_Sun at spectraltype M0 III to 170 R_Sun at M7/8 III. Typical intermediate giant radiiare 65 R_Sun for M1/M2, 90 R_Sun for M3, 100 R_Sun for M4, 120 R_Sun forM5 and 150 R_Sun for M6. There is a large intrinsic spread for a givenspectral type. This variance in stellar radius increases with latertypes but in relative terms, it remains constant.We determineluminosities and, from evolutionary tracks, stellar masses for oursample stars. The M giants in the solar neighbourhood have masses in therange 0.8-4 M_Sun. For a given spectral type, there is a close relationbetween stellar radius and stellar mass. We also find a linear relationbetween the mass and radius of non-variable M giants. With increasingamplitude of variability we have larger stellar radii for a given mass.

The Infrared Spectral Classification of Oxygen-rich Dust ShellsThis paper presents infrared spectral classifications for a flux-limitedsample of 635 optically identified oxygen-rich variables includingsupergiants and sources on the asymptotic giant branch (AGB). Severalclasses of spectra from oxygen-rich dust exist, and these can bearranged in a smoothly varying sequence of spectral shapes known as thesilicate dust sequence. Classification based on this sequence revealsseveral dependencies of the dust emission on the properties of thecentral star. Nearly all S stars show broad emission features fromalumina dust, while most of the supergiants exhibit classic featuresfrom amorphous silicate dust. Mira variables with symmetric light curvesgenerally show broad alumina emission, while those with more asymmetriclight curves show classic silicate emission. These differences may arisefrom differences in the photospheric C/O ratio.

The Tokyo PMC catalog 90-93: Catalog of positions of 6649 stars observed in 1990 through 1993 with Tokyo photoelectric meridian circleThe sixth annual catalog of the Tokyo Photoelectric Meridian Circle(PMC) is presented for 6649 stars which were observed at least two timesin January 1990 through March 1993. The mean positions of the starsobserved are given in the catalog at the corresponding mean epochs ofobservations of individual stars. The coordinates of the catalog arebased on the FK5 system, and referred to the equinox and equator ofJ2000.0. The mean local deviations of the observed positions from theFK5 catalog positions are constructed for the basic FK5 stars to comparewith those of the Tokyo PMC Catalog 89 and preliminary Hipparcos resultsof H30.

Classification and Identification of IRAS Sources with Low-Resolution SpectraIRAS low-resolution spectra were extracted for 11,224 IRAS sources.These spectra were classified into astrophysical classes, based on thepresence of emission and absorption features and on the shape of thecontinuum. Counterparts of these IRAS sources in existing optical andinfrared catalogs are identified, and their optical spectral types arelisted if they are known. The correlations between thephotospheric/optical and circumstellar/infrared classification arediscussed.

The NaI resonance lines as a spectroscopic test of late-type stellar atmospheres.We have tested current models for the atmospheres (including photosphereand low chromosphere) of late-type stars using the D resonance lines ofneutral sodium as a diagnostic. To this end, we have measured theequivalent widths of the D lines for a sample of 39 dwarf and 45 giantlate-type stars observed with high spectral resolution. We constructedphotospheric models over a grid in effective temperature and surfacegravity spanning the spectral types F to M, and luminosity classes V andIII of the sample stars. The model photospheres were extended into thechromosphere by assuming a suitable scaling from the Sun, andtheoretical Nai D equivalent widths were computed over the grid ofmodels including the deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium. Bytaking into account both the experimental errors and the possiblevariations of stellar parameters (effective temperature, surfacegravity, sodium abundance and microturbulence), the comparison betweenobserved and computed equivalent widths allows us to state that themodel atmospheres we have used can reproduce the observations for thetwo luminosity classes and for all the spectral types except for theM-type stars. We have discussed the importance of line blanketing in thespectral analysis of these stars, but at present we cannot conclude thatthis effect would reduce the discrepancy.

An improved calibration of Cepheid visual and infrared surface brightness relations from accurate angular diameter measurements of cool giants and supergiants.We have calibrated optical and near-infrared surface brightness - colourrelations for cool giant and supergiant stars using high-precisionangular diameters of these stars determined from Michelsoninterferometry. We find that the giant and supergiant relations areundistinguishable over a wide range of intrinsic colours. Weindependently determine the slopes of these relations obeyed by Cepheidvariables and find that in all the diagrams considered, these agree verywell with the slopes derived from the stable giants and supergiants.Forcing the slopes to the values derived from the Cepheids, we determinea very precise value of the zero point of the surface brightness -colour relations valid for Cepheid variables, which is 3.947+/-0.003.This value is in agreement with the one derived from the Cepheideffective temperature scale of Pel (1978), and from the lunaroccultation angular diameter of the Cepheid ζ Gem (Ridgway etal.1982). We apply our newly calibrated surface brightness - colourrelations to the cluster Cepheid U Sgr to find its radius and distancefrom the optical V, V-R_J_ and the infrared V, V-K and K, J-KBarnes-Evans technique. While the numerical values derived from thethree different versions of the technique do agree within 1-σ, thenear-infrared distance and radius values are 5-10 times more accuratethan the optical one; in particular, the distance and radius of the starderived from the V, V - K solution are 592 +/-4 pc and 48.7 +/-0.3 solarradii, respectively, with errors less than 1 percent. We briefly discussthe potential of the near-infrared versions of the Barnes-Evanstechnique to set a very accurate (0.02mag) zero point to Cepheidperiod-luminosity relations and thus make a very important contributionto the absolute calibration of the extragalactic distance scale.

M giants at high galactic latitudes: an old metal-rich population?Spectroscopic and photometric observations are presented for a sample of227 late-M giants in the extended solar neighbourhood, catalogued byStephenson using objective prism plates. The kinematics and scaleheightof these stars suggest that they belong to a mixed population, extendingfrom the old thin disc to the thick disc. They show evidence of thedifferential galactic rotation predicted theoretically. Metallicitieshave been determined from a comparison of TiO band strengths andinfrared colours with model atmospheres for late-type stars, and suggesta mean metallicity close to solar.